The Terrebonne Parish Council voted Aug. 12 to terminate a planned $4.5-million project to build a brick-and-mortar home for the Finding Our Roots African American Museum after the museum’s leader reportedly stopped cooperating with parish officials.
Council ends project after breakdown in communications
Five councillors voted to end the deal while three members did not cast a ballot and one voted to keep the proposal alive. The decision effectively halts more than two years of work on the museum and frees up the federal money for reallocation by the parish. Officials said the funding could potentially be redirected to resiliency projects or community centres.
- Amount involved: $4.5 million in federal funds.
- Project: New brick-and-mortar home for the Finding Our Roots African American Museum.
- Outcome: Council vote to cancel the project; funds to be reallocated.
The parish’s account of events centres on Margie Scoby, identified as the museum’s chief executive officer and chair of its board. According to the parish, Scoby progressively stopped engaging with both council members and the administration during negotiations, at times attempting to work around local officials by seeking support from state-level actors. That breakdown in the working relationship was cited by multiple councillors as the primary reason for ending the agreement.
“Since 2024 I fought tooth-and-nail for Margie to get that museum,” Councilman Clyde Hamner said. “It gets down to bottom line, ready to sign the deal, and she ghosted me.”
Hamner, who joined councillors Danny Babin, John Amedee, Kim Chauvin and Kevin Champagne in the vote to terminate the project, said the absence of regular engagement made it impossible to continue advocating for the funding. “She’s not even here tonight for me to vote for her,” he said at the meeting. “She’s gone, and I’m right here. I’m right here, and no explanation whatsoever.”
Vote tally and immediate consequences
The August vote was decisive in ending the museum proposal; councillors Brien Pledger, Clayton Voisin and Steve Trosclair were present but did not vote and were recorded as absent for the motion. Councilman Carl Harding cast the sole vote against cancelling the plan.
| Vote | Number of councillors |
|---|---|
| Voted to cancel | 5 |
| Voted against | 1 |
| Did not vote / recorded absent | 3 |
The parish indicated the funds will be put to other uses. While no final decisions were announced at the meeting, officials signalled that projects related to resiliency or community infrastructure would be considered as possible recipients of the money.
Broader implications for municipal partnerships
Although this matter unfolded in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, the case highlights recurring issues in municipal projects that rely on outside organisations to deliver specialised cultural infrastructure: the need for sustained, transparent communication; clear business plans; and agreed governance structures before significant public dollars are committed.
For communities considering similar investments, councillors and administrators say the episode underlines the importance of ongoing oversight and the ability to reassign funds when partners fail to meet agreed conditions. The termination closes a chapter on a project that had evolved over more than two years and draws attention to the practical pressures of converting grant commitments into completed capital projects.
No representatives of the museum spoke at the meeting and, according to the parish account, the museum CEO did not attend. The council’s vote now shifts attention to what would replace the museum project in the parish’s capital planning.
